Man's teeth knocked out after e-cigarette explodes in his mouth while inhaling

Staff Reporter

January 29, 2016 13:25 GMT

A man was taken to hospital after an e-cigarette he was smoking blew up in his mouthReuters

A young man from Germany has been severely injured after an e-cigarette exploded in his mouth, knocking out several teeth. The incident, which happened in Cologne on January 23, saw the 20-year-old taken to hospital and treated for severe cuts and burns.

Officers investigating the exploding vape said the man had travelled to a shop and bought a new battery and head for his e-cigarette. After putting the new parts together and inhaling, the device exploded. The man is currently recovering in hospital after the shop-owner frantically called an ambulance.

It is just the latest incident in which someone has been injured by an exploding e-cigarette. One case last year saw a 23-year-old man from Georgia suffer fractures to his neck and face and first degree burns on his chest after his vape exploded. He was also left with a hole in his palate.

In 2014, a British man died in a house fire after an e-cigarette he was charging exploded and ignited oxygen equipment he was using. The 62-year-old was thought to be the first fatality caused by a vape. In the UK, a spate of exploding e-cigarette chargers prompted fire chiefs to issue a nationwide alert encouraging consumers to avoid using "dodgy" chargers.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents 49 fire and rescue authorities in England and Wales, estimate that two million Britons are using e-cigarettes each year, with the number of fires caused by faulty chargers also on the rise. There were just eight call outs in 2012, but the number rose to 43 in 2013 – with 62 in 2014.